Spring is in the air; unfortunately, it is in the form of rain. Nonetheless, the season of growth and renewal is upon us. Life returns to that which was dormant over winter, and warmth returns to the land. I love spring.
A federal judge has decided that Microsoft broke national anti-trust laws, and before too much longer will recommend remedies. I have been a long-time supporter of Microsoft, very much liking their products. I find the whole idea absurd. But in the face of the judge's decision, I hope Microsoft fares well. Windows is not the only OS available, and IE is not the only web browser available. Those who want to use other products do. If we really want to go after someone who has a monopoly on operating systems, why aren't we pursuing Apple Computer?
One of the suggested remedies in the Microsoft case has been allowing other companies to borrow source code and build their own operating systems. This will be no help. We'll spawn dozens, maybe hundreds, of operating systems that may or may not work together; Windows at least gives us a standard. Sharing Windows source code is like telling John Grisham (or your favorite best-selling author) he has to let other authors use the same characters, settings, etc., he uses so that they can be successful too.
